A Rose Garden Of A Dessert

This weekend we had company. This is nothing new for us, weekends are always for entertaining.  This guest was different however, at least for me. My  husbands' old boarding school pal was in the Bay Area. So on Sunday she and her sister drove over for a big Indian lunch at our house.
  I've become Facebook friends with quite a few of my husbands' old running buddies from Connecticut and various New England boarding schools. One of my best  Facebook friends is one of his old roommates when they were 14. Even though I feel like I have met many of these people, I haven't. Until Sunday.
 It's very weird to meet someone one already knows. Weird and yet cool also. I had someone from my virtual world in my actual house. Sort of like Avatar..but not. Since Jemima reads this blog, I promised to cook an Indian lunch for her and her sister Sarah.
 Cooking the actual meal began the day before. Almost all the dishes were slow cooked in clay. That menu will be for a later post, what I want to talk about today is the dessert!
  I've gotten in the habit lately of experimenting with desserts. When I cook a large Indian meal,  I always like to try and do something interesting at the end. Large, heavy western-style slabs of cake or pie don't go, so I like to do some research, read and then see what I can make with what I have on hand.
   On my last trip to our local Indian market I'd picked up a packet of seviyan or falooda noodles. The first time I'd had these noodles was at an Iranian ice cream parlor in Los Angeles called Mashti Malones.  The threadlike little noodles were mixed into a rosewater ice cream and were amazingly delicious and addictive. I was hooked.
 Originally I thought I'd just blend some of the falooda noodles into a rosewater pistachio ice cream I was making and be done with it. But then I got Falooda Madness! I spent the next two days reading all about Falooda, Faloodah, Faluda, and Faludah online. There are almost as many variations on what one can do with this as there are spellings of it.
   Falooda was originally developed in Persia/Iran and then traveled to India  and Pakistan via the Mughals. Desserts involving these skinny little vermicelli are found all over Southeast Asia. I decided they needed to be found in Sonoma too. It was going to be a Falooda kind of weekend.
  Falooda is sort of like an Ice Cream Sundae . An ice cream sundae designed by a Paris parfumerie. Traditionally the sort of Falooda I set out to make contains  Kulfi and not western-style ice cream as we know it. I've made Kulfi, but this time I used home made rose flower pistachio ice cream which worked just fine.
The first thing one needs for a tasty Falooda is Rose Syrup 

Other flavored syrups can be used, but traditionally rose is the one most associated with this dessert. Rose syrups can be bought but it's cheaper and pretty quick and easy to make your own.  Here's the Rose Syrup Recipe:
In a heavy pan whisk together
1.) 2 1/2 cups of water
2.) 4 cups of sugar
  Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer it for ten minutes
Add
3.) 1/4 cup of lime juice
4.) 1/2 cup of rose water
  Simmer together for another 10 minutes.
  Take the pan off the heat and allow the mixture to cool. Then put it in a clean dry jar or bottle and cork or cap it tightly.
I colored my syrup with about 3 drops of red food coloring to give it a nice rosy glow.
  Next the noodles.
I bought a package of thin Falooda noodles at the Indian market. Other substitutes are a very fine vermicelli. All that is needed is a handful.
  Cooking the Noodles
  Since I used falooda noodles I put them into a pan containing
1.) 2 cups of whole milk
2.) a pinch of cardamom
3.) 1 tsp of sugar
   When the milk is hot turn the heat off, add in the noodles and let them soak for about 5 to 7 minutes.
When the noodles are cooked, take them out of the milk mixture, drain and chill them. Save the cooked milk and chill it also.
 Basil seeds
  Basil seeds are found in many drinks and desserts. They're a  refreshing and healthful additive.
They're also fun because they resemble tiny little tadpoles in whatever ones' serving them in. Hey, to me that's fun. They're found in most Asian  markets.

"When soaked in water the seeds of several basil varieties become gelatinous, and are used in Asian drinks and desserts such as falooda or Sherbet. Such seeds are known variously as sabza, subza, takmaria, tukmaria, tukhamaria, falooda, selasih (Malay/Indonesian) or hột é (Vietnamese). They are used for their medicinal properties in Ayurveda, the traditional medicinal system of India and Siddha medicine, a traditional Tamil system of medicine. They are also used as popular drinks in Southeast Asia."

Soak 2 Tbs of basil seeds in 2 cups of water for at least 30 minutes , or until they become gelatinous. Mmmmm...tadpoles!
    Ice Cream
A good quality (or homemade) vanilla, or rosewater ice cream or kulfi.
   Assembling Your Falooda
     Into a white wine glass  or tall ice tea glass :
1.) Pour 2 Tbs of rose syrup

2.)  Add  a few cooked falooda noodles

3.) Add 1 tsp of basil seed on top of the noodles

     Take the chilled milk mixture , add in 1/2 scoop of ice cream and beat with a hand mixer until frothy.
4.) Tilt the glass so layers form then add some of the thickened milk mixture .

5.) Put a generous scoop of ice cream into the milk. Don't be stingy baby.

   I mixed up a bit of saffron sirkhand  and used that as a topping, then sprinkled chopped raw pistachio nuts on top . I have seen whipped cream and a cherry used but somehow, it seemed wrong for whatI was looking for.

 

A long silver spoon and a straw and Voila! You are in the Falooda business!

  This may seem complicated or  a lot of steps , but it's not. The rose syrup makes up easily and can be prepared well ahead of time. It keeps in the fridge and can be used in many other Indian desserts. The noodles cook fast and also keep chilled. The basil seeds may be the only tricky thing to find but the ever popular chia seed might be an easy substitute.

  If you've never had this dessert you are in for a great treat. It's more than just a sweet at the close of a meal, it's a walk through a perfumed garden of sweetened delights.  The combo of tastes, color and textures makes this a one of a kind grand finale.

Deep Purple... Potatoes?!

I'm in the midst of preparing an Indian feast. I have been cooking all day today. Company is coming tomorrow. An old boarding school buddy of my husbands' who coincidentally happens to be a mutual friend of several friends of mine in LA, is coming for Sunday lunch.
 She's out in California from Marthas' Vineyard. She's trading the big East coast blizzard for our rainy weather and she'sgetting Indian food.
  Since Jemima reads this blog and does not want to know what she's getting tomorrow...I'm going to be talking about something she's not getting. Heirloom potatoes.
  About a month ago I discovered there are more colors, shades and shapes of heirloom potatoes than one can shake a masher at. All of these potatoes are grown locally which makes the locovore in me happy. All of them (at least the ones I've tried so far) are delicious.
  The last time I cooked heirlooms they were from Blankity Blank Farms. This time the potatoes were from a friend of his, Tom Kirkland, of Tommy Boy Organic Farms.
 I have to admit when I saw the amazing variety of potatoes I was knocked out! What to pick!? I selected some Huckleberrys (for later) and for today some All Blues which are actually a very very deep and vivid purple.
  The All Blues make a great baking potato, and one of the recommended ways of using them is to mash them. I can only guess how thrilled kids would be to find a pile of purple mashed potatoes on their plate right alongside their green eggs and ham. Eating would be fun!
   Actually the stuff that makes these potatoes purple also makes them very good for you. According to the research I read these All Blues are old, old old, probably the closest relative to the original potaoes found up in the Andes of Peru 10,000 years ago. And for those who don't want their leafy greens, take a look at this:

Blue-fleshed potatoes have more vitamins and antioxidants than white potatoes. In fact, All Blue potatoes have as much antioxidant power as Brussels sprouts, kale, and spinach.

The one important thing to remember when cooking these potatoes is to add a bit of vinegar to the cooking process so that they keep their brilliant color.

 I decided to make Sookhe Aloo, a simple Indian "dry"potato dish which I first learned years and years ago from Madhur Jaffreys' An Invitation To Indian Cooking. This dish is sort of an Indian style potato salad. It can be eaten warm at a sit-down meal or cold on a picnic.
 The first thing I did was to wash and boil them in a pot of salted water to which I added 2 Tbs of white vinegar.

  The potatoes were fingerlings so they cooked for about 10 or so minutes. When they were just about fork tender I took them out of the pot and rinsed and drained them.
  When they were cool, I sliced and diced them .

Here's how to make this dish:
1.) In a skillet or kadhai heat about 3 Tbs of oil
   When the oil is hot add in:
2.) 1 tsp of fennel seed
3.) 1 tsp of cumin seed
4.) 1 tsp of whole brown mustard seed
5.) 12 whole fenugreek seeds
   When the seeds start to darken add
6.) 3 whole dried red peppers
   When the red peppers start to darken add :
7.) the diced potatoes
8.) 1/2 tsp of turmeric
9.) 1 and 1/2 tsps of salt.
  Turn the heat down to medium and stir fry for  about 15 minutes or so.

The potatoes will turn crispy.
Squeeze 1 Tbs of lemon juice over the potatoes and serve.
  There it is, a quick fun potato dish as colorful as it is tasty.

And for Jemima...no, you will not know what you're getting until you come here.

Weekend Mystery Dessert

I'm working on something that I've not made before and have been thinking about a lot.  I'll be cooking it tomorrow for better or worse, you'll see the results here.

A Meat and Three Veg!

 The traditional  English lunch from many a novel and black and white "kitchen sink drama" is a tired looking Roast Something with a couple of swooning vegetables lying beside it. However the English shouldn't take the rap for this.  My mother, who accuses me of constantly serving "raw" vegetables because I cook them al dente, believes a green bean isn't really "cooked" until it's been in boiling water for at least an hour. She is of Italian ancestry. She has no excuse.
  Our friend Bruce, a lover of Indian food who is originally from England, ran into  my husband at the Epicurean Connection yesterday.  He's a reader of this blog and had mentioned he was looking for more meat recipes ; I'd been doing a lot of veg. That started me thinking. So Bruce this one's for you. Not just a meat and two veg, but a meat and three veg.
   I have now become extremely fond of lamb shoulder blocks. 
My friend Frank the Butcher at Sonoma Market cuts them up in pieces for me and just two of them provide enough to feed 4 people. Just one shoulder block is enough for the 2 of us.
    I like to cook the lamb slowly in clay so the flavors mellow and the meat is falling- off -the- bone tender. That's the thing I like about Indian food. If one is having meat, it's not necessarily great gobs of meat but nice bites, usually surrounded by vegetables and a spicy sauce. In other words, a little goes a long way.
  I'd intended to get this dish started the night before, but it was time for The Wolfs' Rabies shot and after visiting the vet and writing all day (my real job) all I wanted to do when I got home was put my feet up and stream some  Netflix.
  Where did this leave me? Figuring out a lamb in clay dish that could be cooked easily this morning while we worked. Lamb Madras!
   I started cooking around 10:30 in the morning. That is, I got my spices ground and my clay working,
and while we wrote, the lamb cooked and cooked and cooked in my lovely Pomaire Pot. While we  worked in our office  everything was ready for a late lunch at 1:30, including the three veg.
   Here's what to do for a recipe that feeds 4:
1.)  2 lamb shoulder blocks each cut into  about 4  pieces. Rub it all over with 1 and 1/2 tsp of turmeric.
 In a small cast iron skillet dry roast:
2.)  2 Tbs of coriander seeds.
    When they're aromatic, take them out and set them aside. Next dry roast
3.)  2 tsp of cumin seeds
4.) 10 small  dried red chilies
    When all of these spices have been roasted, put them in a blender or spice grinder along with
5.) 6 curry leaves
6.) 10 chopped garlic cloves or shallots
7.)  A 2 inch piece of ginger roughly chopped
   Grind all of this into a paste.
   Then dry roast
8.) 1 tsp of fennel seed till they start to pop then set them aside
 9.)  Put 1 Tbs of tamarind puree in a small bowl for later.
   Heat
10.) 2 Tbs of oil in a kadhai or deep pot
   Heat the oil and when it's hot toss in
11.) 3 onions thinly sliced
   Cook them till they soften. This will take about 10 minutes or so.
When they're nice and translucent add in the ground spice paste.
Stir it around and cook it for a minute or two,  add the lamb shoulder pieces mix them around well till they're covered in the spice mix.
  Then add:
12.) 2 cups of coconut milk
13.) 1/4 cup of water
  Bring everything to a boil,  turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or so until the liquid has reduced.
 Once the liquid level goes down add in
14.) 1/4 cup of coconut milk
15.) a cinnamon stick
16.) 6 green cardamom pods
17.) 6 more curry leaves
18.) salt and pepper to taste
  Partially cover the pot and cook it at a medium heat for about an hour or until your lamb is tender, tender, tender.
  As a finishing touch add in the tamarind, check your seasoning and it's ready to serve.
  I put this dish on the table with a fresh pineapple chutney and my 3 veg, which was zucchini, potato and peas cooked together with spices in a kadhai.
  Finally, as a finishing touch I sprinkled a bit of chopped pistachio over the dish.

So there it is Bruce, a meal where the clay does the work and simmers everything nicely while you attend to other matters. Like work, or very important cheese buying.

The Perfect Little Dessert, Danish Dumplings Do Delhi!

For years I've toted around a lot of cooking implements. From San Francisco where I grew up to Santa Monica, to Sonoma where I live now.  I've carried around espresso machines, both the old fashioned pot kind and modern with all the bells and whistles, a hand cranked pasta machine, iron woks and bamboo steamers, an old wooden tortilla press,  a set of Vietnamese coffee makers, and I haven't even gotten started on the clay pots.
Over the years, some of these things have been shed, given away or simply lost on the road. A few remain. One of these is an old, cast iron appleskiver pan that was given to me as a wedding present years ago by a third cousin.
For a while I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I grew up in an Italian American household and I've never ever eaten an appleskiver, hell I'd never even seen one. Exactly what prompted my cousin to give me an appelskiver pan is still a mystery but finally this afternoon I put it to use.
  Appelskivers are sweet puffy adorable little Danish dumplings filled with a sweetened bit of apple.  They're usually sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with whipped cream. Sounds good so far I thought. This is something I should try, Indian style of course.
Thanks to The Google I saw a few pictures of what these cute little dumplings are supposed to look like and a set of directions as to exactly how to cure a cast iron appelskiver pan, and what exactly goes into an appelskiver.
A few months ago I decided to cure the pan. This afternoon I used it. I made my first appelskivers.
 I didn't exactly make a traditional appelskiver. There weren't any apple dumplings in my apple dumplings, instead I used pineapple.
  I put my VacuVin pineapple peeler to use again. This time I candied the pineapple in jaggery instead of sugar, which gave the fruit a nice smoky and less of a sweet taste. The natural sweetness in the pineapple  went a long way and didn't need much help. I then added in Kashmiri chili to give it a kick. That was my filling. Hot and tart and sweet.
   Thanks to Google there are a zillion appelskiver recipes out there. I thought I was messing around with the basic concept enough putting a pineapple chutney type filling inside the dumpling, so I thought that I'd just stick to the basics.
  So here is an ultra simple Appelskiver Batter
   1.) Place 2 egg whites in a metal or glass bowl. Set them aside
   2.) In a separate bowl add 2 egg yolks
   3.) 2 cups of all purpose flour
   4.) 2 cups of buttermilk
   5.) 1/2 tsp of salt
   6.) 1/2 tsp of baking soda
   7.) 2 tsp of baking powder
   8.) 1 Tbs of sugar
          Mix the yolk batter well and set it aside. Now back to the egg whites.
  Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks

 

 When the egg whites are thoroughly beaten fold them gently in to the yolk batter.

 

When everything is ready take your appleskiver pan and set it on the burner. Add a bit of vegetable oil to each cup.
9.) Add 1 Tbs of batter to each cup,
10.) Place 1 Tbs of filling in the center of each bit of batter and

11.) Then  1 more Tbs of batter on top to seal it.

 

When the dumplings begin to bubble and cook around the rim, turn them gently. I've read that skilled Danish and Norwegian appleskiver cooks do this with a knitting needle....people like me do it with a stick and a spoon..actually a fork and a long iced tea spoon. They worked just fine. See.

 

When they're done, pop them out and enjoy them. I decided to stick with my Indian theme and serve them with Sirkhand sprinkled with finely chopped pistachios.

I felt so good about them, I even put them out on my wedding china..something else that also really never gets used. Dishes that need to be hand washed do tend to sit in the cupboard.

So now that I am no longer an appleskiver virgin I'm going to be trying this more often. I was thinking they'd make a wonderful appetizer, stuffed with something savory and spicy for my next dinner party.
    I am also grooving on our new photo lights. It's great to see all the cooking lit up without hovering over everything with a flashlight to make it shine.
  What have I learned from all this? It's never too late to use a wedding present, and if you are going to go that far, take out the good china too. What's a little hand washing for something this good?

Get An Award, Pass it Forward!

 Imagine my delight when I opened my e-mail and found The Honest Scrap Award  from Alina Petropavlovska of Russian Season

Thanks so much Alina, I really appreciate your honoring my blog this way. Now, according to the award rules, I now have to tell you 10 honest things about myself and pass on the award to 10 fellow food bloggers who are honest in their approach to blogging.
So,
10 honest things about myself
1) I started cooking Indian food, while in the middle of Chemotherapy 20 years ago.
2) I  am a terrible perfectionist
3) I am the only one in my family interested in cooking and food.
4) I like to do everything from scratch
5) I'm willing to try almost anything once
6) I'm a computer addict, between my writing and everything else I am online almost 24/7
7) I cannot function without my morning coffee
8) I am hoping to visit India early next year.
9) I love to have people cook for me
10) Despite what I do for a living, I am actually fairly shy
And I would like to pass on this award to bloggers behind the following blogs:
I know that some of my choices received this award at the same time I did so I haven't included you here.
1.) Pegasuslegend
2.) Non-Chef Nick
3.) Peas Love Carrots
4.) Sanjana
5.) Tasty Trix
6.) Cook Like A Bong
7.) Mary Moh
8.) Memorie di Angelina
9.) Yummy Food
10.) Salty Seattle
Now according to the rules, if you accept the award, please post 10 honest things about yourself in your blog and send the award to 10 fellow food bloggers!
Here's hoping you'll accept the Honest Scrap Award. I'm looking forward to reading your 10 honest facts!!
Meanwhile, my adventure with an old neglected wedding present is in the works.

Cooking With Wedding Presents

I'm sure everyone has them,  wedding presents. Usually a gift from an  elderly relative. Often it involves a heavy, unwieldy, often times mysterious piece of cookware used in some arcane fashion. Most of the time the stuff is shed at a garage sale, divvying up of property ("here, keep your freakin' funnel cake ring!"), lost in moving or just chucked out. I have one piece of cookware that bears no resemblance to anything I've ever cooked in. Given to me by a third cousin , I've toted it everywhere for what seems like eons.....finally I'm about to use it for the very very first time...my way. More to follow.